Friction-clutch.



G. W. SHAFFER.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.23, 1911.

G. W. SHAFFER.

PRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2s. 1911.

1,029,147, Patented June 11, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MZQMZZ/ @fail/JM G. W. SHAFPER.

I PRIGTION GLUTGH. APPLICATION FILED JAN.23. 1911.

1,029,147, Patented June 11, 1912.

. 47 9 45 s SHEETS-SHEET a.

fg 50 J7 GEORGE w. SHAFFER, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

rRIcrroN-GLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenteaaune 11,1912.

Application inea January 23, 1911. serial No. 604,110.

To all whom it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SHAFFER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in FrictionGlutches, ofwhich the fo-llowing is a specication.

My invention relates to friction clutches and more particularly to thatclass of clutches in which a split ring or segmental friction-shoes areadapted to' impinge against the rim of a pulley or other similar part,whereby the shaft to which the lclutch is applied is to drive or bedriven by the pulley engaged by said ring or shoes.

The primary object of my invention is Athe provision of a clutchmechanism of this character which is simple, compact, cheap inconstruction, and easily Iadjusted for taking up wear; and it also hasfor its object the production of a clutch so arranged and constructedthat maximum leverage is obtained with a comparatively slight movementof the shifting member, and to render the clutch more reliable `andsecure in action.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction, arrangementand combination of parts to be hereinafter described and par ticularlypointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section through a pulley andshaft having my improved clutchmechanism applied thereto, also shown insection. Fig. 2 is a diametral section taken on line 2 2, Fig.l

1. Fig. 3 is a dialnet-ral section taken on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isa transverse section taken on line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detachedperspective view of one of the actuating levers. Fig. 6 is a detachedperspective view of one of the spreading blocks coperating with theactuating levers. Fig. 7 is a detached perspective view of one of theshifter-pins. tion of a shaft and clutch embodying my invention inmodified form. Fig. 9 is a diametral sectiontaken on line 9 9, Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a detached perspective view of the actuating lever employedin this modifled form. Y y y* Referring now to the drawings in detail,

like characters of reference refer to like Y parts in the severalfigures. y Y ,I TheV reference letter A designates a shaft on which isloosely mounted a pulley B Fig. 8 is a transverse secadapted to' befrictionally engaged by the expansible part of the clutch-mechanism 'Cwhich is keyed to said shaft so as to rotate therewith. v With thisarrangement of parts the clutch may serve as a means for causing theshaft to be rotated by the pulley or the pulley to be rotated by theshaft, depending on whether the shaft or pulley is the driving part; butthese parts may be otherwise arranged, such as for connecting separatedand alind shafts, as is common in driving or transmissionfmechanism.rlhe drawings forming part of this specification therefore illustrateone of several ways in which the clutch may b e applied to driving ortransmission mechanism for driving one part from another. y ,The pulleyB is preferably constructed with a peripheral contact-rim 11 ofsufficient width for co-action with a split ring 12 surrounded by saidriin and adapted, in the constructionv shown, to be expanded Vagainsttheinternal face o f the rim. This split ring has a diametral arm 13connecting it at diametrically opposite points and is formed in piecewith said arm. The rim is split at two points in the embodiment of myinvention disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4, as at 14, form,- ing two segmentalfriction-shoes 15, each extending from one end of the arm 13 to theother end thereof from which it is separated, one shoe extending fromone end of the arm 13 and the other from the opposite end thereof. Thearm 13 has a hub provided with a central opening soA aslto fit over asleeve 16 keyed to the shaft A, said arm being secured to said sleeve bymeans of a set screw 17. The split ring andthe arm 13 therefore rotatewith the shaft A andsleeve 16 around said shaft, and may lwell be termedthe eXpansible-member. The arm 13 is recessed on opposite sides of thesleeveA 16 to form pockets 1S which eX- tend from said sleeve to theperiphery `f the eXpansible-member,` said pockets opening at oppositesides of the arm, as clearly shown, in Fig. 1. i

Sl'idable on the sleeve 1G is a shiftingcollar 19, such ,las commonlyused in friction clutches, which may be moved lengthwise on` said sleevein any approved manner,

Said shifting collar having shifter pins 20 extending therefrom withtheir free ends entering openings 21 formed in the arm 13 or moreparticularly in the hub of said arm. These openings are formed in thehub at diametrically opposite points and toward or into said planes byreason of their open into or intersect the inner ends of the pockets 18.

-1 preferably reduce the diameter of the shifter pins at their outerends and thread them into the shifting collar 19, as at 22. The innerends kof these pins are beveled, as at 23, and engage the beveled innerends 24 of a pair of actuating arms or levers 25 which partly extendinto the pockets 18. Upon actuation of said shifter pins, the inner endsof said actuating arms or levers are swung outward until they havecleared l the beveled ends of said pins when they are held inV theiroutermost positions bythe cylindrical portions of said pins. In order toprevent accidental dislodgment of the pins from underneath the actuatingarms, each pin has aislight' depression 20a formed therein adjacent thebeveled surface, in which depression the pointed lower edges 25a of theactuating arms or levers 25 are adaptedto enter, said pointed edgesbeing Vcreated by beveling the inner ends of said armsor levers. In thismanner a positive locking of the parts is obtained so that when theparts 'of the clutch are engaged, such jarring as they Amay be subjectedto could not cause their disengagement. The outer ends of said leversalso extend into depressions or notches 26 formed inthe free ends of thefriction-slices, the latter having pins 27 extending therethrough whichserve'as fulcrums for said arms or levers. The outer ends of said armsor levers are notched at one edge, as at 28, to it onto said pins, and

s said arms or levers swing on said pins as a center, said pins may wellbe termed ful- Crum-pins Where the arm 13 meets the rigid ends of thefriction-shoes, adjusting-pins 29 are rotatably fitted in theexpansible-member, each vpin having an intermediate eccentric portion 30against which is placed an oscillating spreader block or member 31having a curved notch 32 in one edge fitting said eccentric portion. Theadjusting pins are retained in anyadjusted position by means of setscrews 57 threaded through portions of the friction-shoes and impingingagainst said pins, as best shown in Fig. 3. For the purpose ofconveniently turning the adjusting-pins, each has a kerf 33 at one endinto which can be placed the end of a screwdriver or other similar tool,thus easily admitting of a very tine adjustment. Said blocks are alsoprovided in their opposite `edges with notches 34 in which ntconnectorpins 35 also fitting notches 36 formed in the adjacent ends ofthe actuating arms or levers 25. The connector-pin is arranged slightlyout of the plane passing through Vthe axes of the fulcrum-pin and theadjusting-pin, and upon actuation of the levers or arms 25, saidconnector-pins are moved being confined between the levers andoscillating spreader blocks. When such action takes place, the distancebetween the fulcrum-pins 27 and the adjusting-pin 29 is increased,thereby causing the friction shoes to be expanded against the internalface of the pulley rim and compellingrsaid pulley to rotate with theshaft, or the shaft with the pulley, as the case may be.

The operation ofthe device is las follows-Upon shifting the collar 19',vthe shifter-pins 20 are forced inward and` the beveled inner endsthereof act against the beveled inner ends of the actuating arms orlevers to cause them to swing outward with the fulcrum-pins 2G ascenters.V This movement of the arms or levers carries the connector-pins35 inward toward the shaft A, and owing to the adjusting-pins 29-beingconiined within non-yielding parts'of compelled to-move away from theadjustingpins and as the fulcrum-pins are held within the free ends ofthe friction-shoes, said shoes are expanded against the pulley rim.W'hen the shoes or pulley rim becomes-worn, it is simply necessary toturn the adjusting-pins so as to bring the throw of the eccentricportions thereof closerto the fulcrum-pins, which moves the oscillatingblocks, the outer ends of the actuating-levers, and the connector-pinsin the direction in which the friction shoes expand, thus taking up thewear to the desired degree in a very simple and effective manner. Byreason of the shifter-pins engaging the actuating-levers ataconsiderable distance from their fulcrum-points, considerable leverageis obtained, which is further augmented by reason of the comparativelyshort distance between the fulcrum-pins of said levers and theconnector-pins, and Vthe further fact that said connector pins arealmost in alinement with the axes of the fulcrum and adjustingpins, thusobtaining a compound leverage which assures secure frictional contactunder a load or resistance much greater than tained therein in slightlymodified form for small size clutches, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 8to'10, wherein the expansible-member has a frictional rim 37 connectedto a In this instance, the hub 38 is Y `notch 41 of one of thefriction-shoes is an oscillating spreader block 43 which extendsslightly into the notch 41 of the other friction-shoe. An adjusting-pin44 similar in construction to those shown in the figures previouslydescribed, is rotatably held in the free end'of one of thefriction-shoes and extends through the notch 4l thereof. Theintermediate eccentric port-ion of said adjusting-pin fits into a notch45 formed in one edge of the oscillating spreader-block and in the otheredge of said block, is a notch 46 into which fits a connector-pin 47held in the free end of the other friction-shoe. The arm 39 whichconnects the hub with the friction rim is hollowed out to form a pocket48, and formed in said arm so as to extend from said pocket to the outerface of said arm, is an opening 49 in which is held for movement ashifter-pin 50 affixed to a shifting-collar 5l slidable on the shaft A.Like the shifter pins previously described, the pin 50 is also beveledat its inner end and co-acts with the beveled end 52 of an actuatinglever 53 which extends from within said pocket, partly around the hub 38and has its other end entered in the notch 41 of the friction shoe inwhich the connector rim 47 is located. Through said friction-shoe afulcrum-pin 54 is passed which extends through the notch wherein the endof the actuating-lever is held, said lever having a notch 55 at one edgeto receive the fulcrum pin and a notch 56 at its other edge into whichthe connector pin 47 fits. lVhen. the shifting-collar 5l is moved alongthe shaft, the shifter-pin 50 thereof engages the beveled end of theactuating lever 53 and causes said lever to swing on the fulcrum-pin 54,thereby separating the free ends of the friction-shoes through theactio-n of the spreading-block 48.

It is to be noted that in the construction illustrated in Figs. l to 4,the adjustingpins are passed through rigid parts of theexpansible-member and the said pins do not therefore change theirpositions, whereas in the modification shown and described, both theadjusting and fulcrum pins are moved. owing to the fact that they areboth held within parts capable of expanding against the pulley rim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is zl. A frictionclutch comprising a driving and a driven part, one of said parts havinga contact-rim and the other part having a pair of friction-shoes fixedat one of their ends and free at their other, the free end of each shoebeing notched and having a fulcrum pin extending through said notchedend,an actuating lever for each shoe having a notch into which saidfulcrum-pin fits and extending inward from said pin toward the fixedends of said shoes, an oscillating member cooperating with eachactuating-lever,

an adjusting-pin eccentrically arranged in the fixed end of eachfriction shoe, said adjusting pins serving as axes for said oscillatingmembers, means for pivotally connecting said oscillating members withthe fulcrumed ends of said actuating levers, and shifting means engagingsaid actuating levers.

2. A friction clutch comprising a driving and a driven part, one of saidparts having a contact rim surrounding the other p art and said otherpart comprising a friction rim and a diametral arm having said frictionrim separated therefrom at two points to provide a pair offriction-shoes, each having one end rigid with said arm and its otherend free, said friction-shoes having their free ends notched and saiddiametral arms having pockets extending outward to the periphery of saidfriction rim in line with said notches, a fulcrum pin passing throughthe notched free end of each friction shoe, an actuating-lever for eachfriction-shoe having a notch at one edge into which said fulcrum-pinfits, said levers extending toward the fixed ends of said shoes, anadjusting-pin passing through the friction rim at each end of said armand having an eccentric portion extending into the adjacent pocket ofsaid arm, an oscillating spreader-block at each end of said arm having anotch into which the eccentric portion of said adjusting-pin fits andwhich is interposed between said adjusting-pin and the fulcrumed end ofthe actuating-lever, said oscillating-blocks and actuating levers havingregistering notches in their opposing edges, connector-pins fitting intosaid registering notches and slightly out of alinement with said fulcrumand adjusting-pins, and a shifting-device engaging the free ends of saidactuating-levers.

3. A friction-clutch comprising a driving and a driven part, one of saidparts having a contact rim andthe other having segmental friction-shoesfixed at one end and free at their other, spreading means coacting withthe free end of each frictionshoe and comprising an oscillating memberand an actuating lever fulcrumed to the free end of the friction-shoe, aconnector pin interposed between said oscillating member and saidactuating lever and an eccentric adjusting pin interposed between saidoscillating member and the fixed end of the other friction-shoe, andmeans for actuating said actuating levers.

4. A friction clutchV comprising driving and driven members, one of saidmembers having a contact rim, and the other having a segmental frictionshoe xed at one end and free at its other, spreading means coacting withthe free end of the friction shoe comprising an oscillating block and aco-` acting actuating lever, a rotatable pin hav- 4 Y1,o29',14n"' ing-aneccentric surface upon vvhich the Intestimonjvn whereof Ivhave aiixedInv block bears adapted to adjust the position signature in the presenceof tvvo subscribing .of said block, a connector'pin interposed loe-Witnesses.

tween said oscillating block and actuating GEORGE W. SHAFFER. 5 lever,Said oscillating block and actuating Witnesses:

lever having notches to receive said pin and EMIL NEUHART,

means for actuating said lever. ELLA C. PLUECKHAHN.

Copies of this patent may be fitained for ve cents each: by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. l

